AFRICA ALIVE!
'Africa Alive: African History through Film, Story and Song' jumpstarts an African Studies Program at Westfield State College. Dr. Elise G. Young, History, wrote the original proposal in March of 2006 and the program was successfully implemented in April, 2007 and again in April of 2008. The vision is of a community based learning model utilizing existing resources in the Pioneer Valley by creating a network between the Five College African Studies Council, the African Cultural Council of Springfield, and Westfield State College.
Africa Alive! highlights the history, visions, struggles, accomplishments, of Africa from the perspective of African artists, scholars, musicians, activists, and others. The program has been implemented with the support and dedication of Dr. Michael Konig, History Department, Westfield State College, Dr. Joye Bowman, History Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Dr. Samba Gadjigo, African Film and Literature, Mt. Holyoke College, Dr. Omodbode Omojola, Ethnomusicologist, Mt. Holyoke College, Gabriel Mkwuah, African Cultural Council of Springfield, Dr. Catherine Newbury, Africanist, Smith College, Alex DeMontrichard, Office of the African Scholars Program, Dr. Almicar Shabbaz, Director, W.E.B. Dubois Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and others.
This unique educational opportunity, providing a link between public and private education, is invaluable in terms of sharing resources on Africa in to expand funding options for the purpose of developing creative programming on Africa in our region. The Project provides a venue for education coming from Africans themselves within and outside of Academia.